Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-10-06
THE MAVERICK SYSTEM.
HOW FORTUNES WE'RE MADE 0v
UNSCRUPuLOUS COWBOYS.

ONSCHOFOIOOS COWoOYS.
Tho Trick Of Gathering Herd Of Young
Cattlo-Altering Brsnds - High Art.
Notable Instances Of skillful Altora.
ti0Il.
"Cattle raising in Texas Is not what 1t used
n be," said a veteran stockman. II don't
mean to say there's no money in tho business
now, only that II Is carried OH differently
more legitimately, might say.-than it used
to be. Why, when l was just learning to
stick to bucking ponies, men without . cent
in their jeans were coming into the state and
branching out - big cattle owners. There
were fortunes made in . couple Of years that
could hardly te accumulated in lifetime at
the business now. How was it donei Ill tell
you.
"What Aas known a. tho maverick system
was In vogue then. A maverick Is . yearlinK
calf that has escaped the branding iron.
Where thero were large herds Of cattle 1t
often happened that some wore overlooked At
branding time, and many were calved in tho
bush and ran wild. These mavericks were
considered common property by the stock
man, and whenever he found ono he'd rope
II, tic It down and run his brand on Il. Then
tho ears we're sliced to correspond with the
recorded ear marks Of the rnnchman and the
calf turned loose. Maybe tho ranchman was
branding his own stock and maybe he wasn't.
That cut no figure with him.
"In those days we tad no pastures and
cattle were simply loose herded on the range
Certain landmarks would be set down a. llm-
its Of his range by the stockmon and his
herders instructed to keep the stock within
these limits In the morning the herders
would round tho cattle in sight to points
within the limitA At night they would 10
headed for the sailing or l,ed ground and left
until morning. Of course there were many
strays, but each ranch sent out . hunt in tho
spring to round up the herds Of nsighboring
stockInen and n cut out any cattle found
among them bearing their ranch brand. And
under this system Of handling cattle stock.
mon considered mavsricking would even IT,
self up In the long run. Tho only QusliAca-
ton Wa that man should own stock to 10
properly entitled ~ maverick.
FORTUNES IN MAvRRICX2
.Here's where foreigners coming into tue
state penniless got tho best Of ". Some fol-
low worked IN a COW camp long enough to
learn that there was . fortune for him In
mavericks. He invested bis wages IN COW
ponies, went to the nearest town and had a
brand recorded. got bag Of meal and side
OF bacon, and took to the bush. In less than
year he had 100 head Of young cattle
roaming over tho country with his brand on
them. Then he hired soHe mon, built ranch,
and went on grand round up. All the fat
steers he drove to market, keeping the heiferS
to breed from His men were not long in
learning how hs hal worked 1t, and then
they brnnchcd out for themselves. In n short
time the country was overrun will, maverick
ers, and spretty soon the most barefaced
thlevery ever recorded Rot 10 bc as common
as dirt In corn dodger. Your would be
honest stockmen had to steal to keep even.
and the calves OF mich COWS IN tho corrnls
were stolen.
ut got u be common thing for the tame
cattle that came In to tho ranch for salt t. be
followed by calves wearing strange brands;
and this lei to tho counter branding that used
to make the hides OF Texas cattle look like
drawings of choice town lots.
Here's All instance: had q little Durham,
h-ifer. one 6f the finest shorthorns brough:
into tho state Her first calf wasn't ten days
old when some Of the boys told Inc that It hnd
been Innvcrcke.i. hunted It up, and sure
enough some cuSs had run big II on its
side and underslopcd each ear drove 1t to
tho ranch and put a big U after tho other
letters, making the brand read d. U. Then
l sharpcd each ear, and turned IL out. Tho
next time saw that calf both ears had been
gruhbe,i out at the head. and the brand read
B4U2 Was madi Some.
ALTERING BRANDa
"Then mavericks began to get scarce a.
water OH the I.Iano, and tho COW thieves
turned their attention TO altering branda
Old Jim Loving, up In Los valley, owned
about 5000 or 1000 head Of cattle. They
were all branded with what he called half
diamond I. Oh tho left shoulder. The half
diamond was over the L He and took q
herd up the Chism trail to Kansas in ~. and
some where between Sun City and Fort Dodge
caught up with another herd that had gono
up ahead Of US. 1t had been sold that day.
Loving counted 700 odd head OF his cattle Ia
the herd. They we're all branded OH the left
shoulder with All inverted T inside OF a
diamond.
"Jin was hopping mad. W. learned TINT
tho fellow who sold tho herd wns red haired
Mexican called Colorau. Getting some Of tho
boys. VIC started after him. Ho got almost to
the Nation Indian territory before we
caught him. Tho boys set him strnddie Of
his own pack horse and tied his legs under
the animals belly. Thon lariat was tiel
under his chin, and tho other end thrown
over the branch Of live oak, where one Of
tho boys caught It and made 1t fast to the
horn Of his saddle. Then Colorau was given
about five minutes to tell over his beads
While the darned skunk was whmperinR
something about 'Sancta Maria, Madre do
Dios,' Loving gave the signal. The herder
with tho rope tied to hs saddle horn dug
spurs into his pony and shot away like the
winh 1t was forty foot lariat and he
reached the end with Jerk that throw his
pony back OH his launches. That Rreascr's
neck popped like the report Of a six shooter.
ut was the only way to deal with those
fellows, and that lind Of treatment has made
them scarce. Since We have got 70 building
big pastures with barbed wire fence around
'en,, mavericking and cattle stealing havc
about died out And We don't have to hirc
20 many herders either. Men ride around
the pastures every day or 80 to SEQ that tbe
fences nre not down, but they don't carry
branding irons with Them Branding is done
at regular periods snow."-Chicago Times.